


the space between the stars

by Dreamers_never_die



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Gen, Misunderstandings, Tags Are Hard, dang it i feel like im spoiling the story, i promise its not sketchy, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:29:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26077231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamers_never_die/pseuds/Dreamers_never_die
Summary: Two girls share a night of coffee, stars, and misunderstandings.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	the space between the stars

Kasper wondered for the umpteenth time that night why she had agreed to come. There were the kinds of people who belonged in such places, but she wasn't one of them. The erratically flashing lights hurt her eyes, and all of the body heat made it uncomfortably warm. The loud music and the constant chatter of people practically yelling to hear one another over it combined to make a cacophony that seemed louder than it actually was, and all she really wanted to do was find the nearest exit. But her friends were somewhere in the room, enjoying themselves, and Kasper would feel terrible if something happened and she wasn’t there to rescue them. So, she stayed, sitting at a table for two at the side of the room and people-watching to pass the time -she wanted to conserve battery on her phone just in case. 

The seat she sat on was slightly sticky, but so was every other surface in the place, it seemed. The mob in the center of the room didn’t seem to mind, but Kasper hated the sensation of her shoes sticking on the floor and had to resist the urge to sit with her feet under her legs. She knew she would look ridiculous, and she also didn’t want to begin to think about what her shoes had touched in the past half-hour. 

After a while of seeing the same shadowed faces in the varied lighting, she grew bored of observing. She propped her elbow up on the table next to her and rested her chin on her hand. At some point, her eyes must have slipped closed, and she was startled when a voice said “Is it really that boring here?” 

Kasper jolted a bit, drawing her arm from the table to rest back in her lap. There was a girl sitting in the other chair pulled up to her table. She looked to be about Kasper’s age, although one could never be sure. Her hair was short and parted far to one side, dyed at the tips -was that turquoise? It was hard to tell in the lighting-, and she wore a flannel shirt under a leather jacket. The girl set the drink she was holding down and wiped her hand free of condensation on her jeans. Kasper eyed the cup warily and didn’t reply to the girl’s question.

“Ah, it’s just water,” the girl said, noticing Kasper’s gaze. “I don’t need alcohol to have fun, but dehydration is real.” She winked.

Kasper just blinked in response. Compared to the girl she looked terribly plain in her jeans and t-shirt and long brown hair, but it didn’t bother her much.

“Hello?” the girl finally said after a bit, waving her hand a little. “Anyone home?”

Kasper realized she’d spaced out, and shook her head a bit to refocus.

“No? Nobody’s home?” the girl chuckled, then uncrossed her legs, saying, “You look like you need some fresh air. C’mon.” She stood up, offering her hand, and Kasper eyed it skeptically for a moment before hesitantly taking it and letting the girl pull her to her feet. Her grip was warm and firm, but not hard or forceful. Kasper tried to break the connection after she was standing by letting her own grip go lax, but the girl held on persistently and gently tugged her towards a doorway that Kasper had spotted earlier -she suspected it led to an alleyway based on its position relative to the entrance, and had noted it as a possible escape point.

Once they reached the door, the red exit sign giving off a faint but harsh glow above them, Kasper stopped and looked back, trying to locate her friends in the crowd. “What is it?” the girl asked.

“My friends...” Kasper mumbled, eyes still searching. She had determined that the girl was taking her somewhere outside of the club.

"They'll be fine, you didn't look like you wanted to be there anyway."

Kasper hesitated, her gut telling her that something bad would happen to them when she left -or was that anxiety? She couldn't tell-, but she shoved the feeling down. After all, the girl was right, she didn't really want to be there. She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, then turned back to the girl and the door.

"My name's Ciel," the girl said as she led Kasper out the door and into the -she had guessed correctly- alley. It was fairly short and wide, as alleyways go, though Kasper herself didn't have much experience with them.

"I'm Kasper, Kasper with a K," she replied in her customary soft voice.

"Nice to meet you, Kasper with a K." She flashed a cheeky grin.

Ciel led Kasper across the street and into a cafe, her hand still in Kasper's. It was virtually empty, and the barista looked far too awake for the hour and lack of customers to occupy them. Kasper suspected they might have been partaking in some of their own products. Ciel sat her down at a booth by the window and told her to wait while she got drinks.

Kasper sat leaned against the seat back. Unlike back at the club, it wasn't sticky and she didn't feel like she had to avoid touching everything, so she allowed herself to relax minutely into the chair. She stared at the headlights going by; they were the only things you could see through the window. There was soft music playing from somewhere over the counter, and although it wasn't what Kasper usually listened to, it was much better than the blasted music in the building across the street.  
She looked away from the window as Ciel approached with two cups in her hands. She settled into the booth across from Kasper and set the drinks in front of them. She pushed one toward Kasper, it looked like just a plain glass of water. Kasper took it, glanced at Ciel, then took a sip from the straw sticking out of it. It was cool, but not so cold that it hurt her teeth.

The two of them sat for a while in silence, Kasper drinking her water and Ciel sipping on her own drink sporadically while watching her with a careful gaze, as if she expected Kasper to disappear at any moment. The eyes fixed on her made her a bit uncomfortable, she wasn't used to anybody paying so much attention to her.

After Kasper had emptied about half of her cup, she set it down, and Ciel seemed to take that as an invitation to engage her in conversation.

"So, Kasper." She leaned back a bit, as if considering. "A pretty name. What were you doing there? Did your friends drag you along with them as their designated driver or something?"

"No, actually, I volunteered to come with them," Kasper replied quietly, and Ciel cocked her head to the side.

"Why? You didn't look like you were having much fun," she asked.

Kasper shrugged.

"Hm." Ciel looked unsatisfied with that answer, but willing to accept Kasper's boundaries.

"Do you make it a habit to go around approaching random people?" Kasper surprised herself with the forwardness and almost accusatory tone that the question held. She winced a bit.

Ciel, however, seemed to find the question funny for some reason, and laughed. "But, I mean, isn't that why most people come to clubs?" She shook her head slightly, bemused. "I actually came to look for inspiration for a book I'm writing, and you're cute, so..."

"You write?" Kasper asked, curiosity peeking up from underneath her anxiety.

"Yeah! I'm not super well known, but I have a couple of published books."

"What genre?" Kasper couldn't help but wonder if she'd read any of Ciel's books.

"Mostly romance," Ciel said, smiling a bit.

Ah, then Kasper most likely hadn't read any of her work. She'd never really seen the appeal of romance, although she didn't say this aloud; she had enough social sense to know that it might be rude.

"Although I have written a science fiction trilogy," Ciel said thoughtfully, as though she had almost forgotten about it.

Science fiction, however… Kasper asked what the trilogy was called; science fiction was her favorite genre and she had almost read through the library's entire collection in college.

"Ah, it's not my best work," Ciel blushed, "But it's called 'The Aftermath'."

Kasper came even more out of her shell in her excitement. "I've read that! It's one of my favorite dystopian sci-fi stories ever!"

"Really?" Ciel's blush spread.

"Yeah! It's really well written, if it 'isn't your best work' then your other books must be amazing." Kasper then abandoned all of her withdrawn nature that she usually held about her in favor of being a total book geek when presented with the author of one of her favorite books.

Eventually, Ciel finished her drink -it looked and smelled like hot chocolate, although Kasper had never asked what it was. Ciel insisted on paying, "a thank you for reading my book, and besides, it was just water."

The two then wandered out onto the street. It was in the early hours of the morning, maybe 1 or 2 am; they had spent longer in the cafe than Kasper thought. There was a chill in the air, as was usual for this time of year, and Kasper regretted not bringing a sweater. To be fair, she hadn't planned for this, and she certainly hadn't needed it back in the club.

Ciel must have noticed her slight shiver, as she took off her leather jacket and offered it to Kasper. She took it gratefully, huddling into the warmth. It reminded her of her father's hugs. A small, bittersweet smile made its way to her face.

They walked to a park that was a couple of blocks away, not really talking, just enjoying the atmosphere that filled the streets in the early morning. It had always been Kasper's favorite time. There was a certain nostalgia that hung in the air, a still pond reflecting the moonlight. Breaking the silence would send a ripple that disrupted and blurred the perfect surface.

Ciel led Kasper to the swing set on the children's playground in part of the park, and they sat down. The playground must have been well maintained, as the swings didn't creak. The swings in Kaspers backyard as a child had always been noisy, and she had fond memories with her father attached to the sound.

Ciel once again engaged Kasper in conversation, this time asking her about herself. Kasper wasn't expecting to find that it was far easier to open up when she could pretend she was talking to the starry sky above her as she gently swung. 

She talked about her job at the library which enabled her to read so much, and how as a child she had always wanted to write like her favorite authors, but had somehow ended up doing pottery instead, and liking it a lot. She didn't do it much anymore; in addition to working at the library, she had a part-time job at a restaurant. Recently she had wanted to get back into pottery and make something for her father, but she didn't mention that. She didn't like thinking about her father as he was now. 

Eventually, the two fell into silence again, Kasper laying back in her swing and staring upwards, lost somewhere behind that star, past that galaxy. Most people seemed enamored by the stars, small pricks of light shining in a sea of darkness, but Kasper preferred the space around the stars. There was something about that blackness that drew her in. 

She was pulled back down to earth when Ciel spoke; she had almost forgotten she was there. "I wanna take you somewhere."

"Where?" Kasper asked, pulling herself up to sit properly in the swing and looking over at Ciel.

"You seem to like the night sky, and I know a place where you can see it even better than from here."

"Oh, ok, sure," Kasper said, a bit dubious, but more curious and drawn to the idea of seeing better. 

"Do you mind if we have to drive there? It's quite a long walk, and it's pretty late."

"I guess."

"Ok, let's walk back to my car. It's parked near the club."

The car ride was fairly silent. Ciel turned on the radio, and neither of them spoke much. Kasper spent the first bit anxiously watching the road in front of them, but after having determined that Ciel was not a terrible driver, she relaxed and spent the rest of the time looking out of the window.

The view of the city as they climbed a hill right outside of town wasn't as special as people always said it was, but it did have a certain appeal to it. 

Ciel pulled into a small lot near the top of the hill and got out, opening the trunk and grabbing a bundle. Kasper got out as well, and Ciel led them to a faint trail leading off from the parking lot.

"There's only a short walk to the top," Ciel reassured Kasper, although she hadn't said anything about minding walking; Kasper had always liked hiking. 

They reached the top, and Ciel unraveled the bundle she was holding -it turned out to be a picnic blanket. She spread it out in a flat spot and sat down, patting next to her. Kasper sat down as well, looking up. There were no trees above them, and out here you really could see so much better. The two of them lay back and watched the sky, light clouds drifting across their view occasionally, blocking out the stars in small patches.

"Ciel. That means sky, doesn't it? In french," Kasper finally said.

"Yeah," Ciel replied softly.

"I've always loved the night sky."

"I can tell." She chuckled softly.

They lay for a bit longer before Ciel shifted, and Kasper looked to see what she was doing. She had turned onto her side, facing Kasper, eyes fixed on her. Kasper moved to copy her, shifting onto her side, but she continued looking a bit up and past Ciel at the sky beyond the trees, not making eye contact.

Then, all of a sudden, Ciel was getting closer. Kasper's eyes widened, focusing on Ciel's. She blinked rapidly.

Ciel kissed her.

She was surprised, of course. But now she could see how oblivious she had been all night long, and pieces started to fall into place. The staring, the "inspiration" comment, it all made much more sense now. It was just so far off of Kasper's radar that she never considered...

The kiss itself was an odd sensation. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant -there was a faint trace of chocolate, no doubt from the hot chocolate-, but it felt weird and Kasper wasn’t a fan. She wasn’t surprised about that, though.

Kasper pulled away and rolled back onto her back, not sure what to say.

"I'm so, so sorry, I should have asked," Ciel said, immediate regret apparent in her voice. "Are you not into girls?"

Kasper hesitated for a second. How would she react to this? Would she be like everyone else? But Ciel had been kind all night and if she was queer herself maybe…  
"I'm not really into anybody..." Kasper murmured, the sentence slowing down and getting even quieter towards the end.

"Oh."

Kasper wasn't sure what that meant, so she just stayed quiet, closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at the sky anymore.

She heard Ciel stand up, and she followed suit, figuring it was time to go home. She walked to the edge of the hill, looking away from Ciel, who was wrapping up the blanket, and stared out across the city again. It didn't look quite as charming anymore.

The ride back was just as silent as the one there had been, but infinitely more awkward and filled with tension. There were a couple of times when Ciel opened her mouth as if to say something, but then decided against it.

Ciel broke the silence to ask where she should drop her off, and Kasper looked at the time. Her friends had probably gone home already -she hoped they were ok, and that they didn't worry about her-, but she didn't really want Ciel to bring her home. After a bit of deliberation, Kasper asked her to just drop her off at a bus stop.

The soft dawn light creeping into her room told Kasper that she would likely be napping later today. For now, she looked up at the glow-in-the-dark stars that were stuck on her ceiling above her bed. They may have seemed a bit childish, but Kasper liked them, liked the small sky they created for her, her own personal universe. Her father had painstakingly taken them down for her when she moved out so she could take them with her, maybe that was his way of saying he still loved her. She usually stared at them and counted them over and over again to fall asleep. But that night, she turned away from them, just closing her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> do i want to expand on their story? yes  
> will i? we shall see


End file.
